Police identify man killed in alleged ‘swarming’ stabbing in downtown Toronto
Posted January 10, 2023 8:57 am.
Last Updated January 10, 2023 12:52 pm.
Police have identified the 59-year-old Toronto man who died after he was allegedly swarmed by a group of teenage girls downtown in December.
Toronto police say Ken Lee was assaulted and stabbed just after midnight on Dec. 18 in the area of York Street, University Avenue and Front Street West. He was rushed to hospital where he later died.
Police had said the victim wasn’t publicly identified yet since officers were trying to notify his next of kin. Investigators said the man recently accessed Toronto’s shelter system and had a “very supportive family in the area.”
Eight teenage girls — three 13-year-olds, three 14-year-olds, and two 16-year-olds — have been charged with second-degree murder in Lee’s death.
The girls cannot be identified under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act because they are all under the age of 18.
Some of the teens appeared in court last week where dates for their bail hearings were set.
One teen is set to appear in court for a bail hearing on Jan. 20, two others on Jan. 25, and another on Jan. 27. Another girl has already been released on bail.
Homicide Squad Det.-Sgt. Terry Browne indicated the girls connected on social media and met up in the city’s downtown core, where they were allegedly involved in two fights before the fatal stabbing.
“They come from varying parts of the city … we don’t know how or why they met that evening and why the destination was downtown Toronto. We don’t know how long they have been acquainted,” he said back in December.
“I wouldn’t describe [the suspects] as a gang at this point, but what they are alleged to have occurred that evening would be consistent with what we traditionally call a swarming or a swarming-type behaviour,” he told reporters.
With files from Nick Westoll of CityNews; and The Canadian Press
